


Too Much Noise

by sbuggbot



Category: SteamWorld Quest (Video Game)
Genre: Don't copy to another site, Fluff, Found Family, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Panic Attacks, Sensory Overload
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-22
Updated: 2019-07-22
Packaged: 2020-07-10 12:43:15
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 633
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19905895
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sbuggbot/pseuds/sbuggbot
Summary: Thayne has very good hearing, but that isn't always a good thing for him.





	Too Much Noise

**Author's Note:**

> Just some little scenario that popped into my head while discussing the twins on Tumblr. Due to circumstances in their past, their senses are very acute and I couldn't help but think that'd lead to sensory overload sometimes.

The noises and voices bounced around the room endlessly without any pattern to follow. Perhaps it wasn’t that much in the grand scheme of things, but to Thayne, it was a lot. Trying to make sense of it made his head hurt. The fact that his ears were so  _ sensitive _ only made it worse. Every little sound got picked up by his big bunny ears and rattled around in his head.

Thayne curled up under the table and tugged on his ears, trying in vain to block out the noise. But it wasn't helping, and by now he was so overwhelmed couldn't think clearly enough to try leaving or ask the others to quiet down. He was stuck, miserably overwhelmed and nobody probably even saw him and  _ hold on where did he leave his dagger... _

Orik had decided to sit down for a moment and happened on the sight. “Thayne, are you alright?” he asked. Dumb question. Of course he wasn’t, he was curled up on the floor. “What’s wrong?”

He curled into himself even more and whined in response. Everything was too much for him to handle and he had no choice but to hide in his own shell. At this point, it felt more like a prison and made him even more stressed, though.

Another clatter made Thayne flinch. “Quiet down,” Orik said to the others, voice firm. His tone alone made most of the noise stop right then. “I think Thayne's overwhelmed.”

Armilly either didn't hear him or didn't process it correctly. Galleo gently grabbed her arm to get her attention then made a ‘quiet’ gesture, pointing towards Thayne. She quieted down right after with a whispered “sorry”.

Tarah mentally kicked herself for not noticing in the midst of the chaos and went over to check on her brother. He didn't seem to notice her when she drew close. When she called his name he just whimpered and tensed up even more.

“Come on, we should clear out,” Galleo said, thinking back to the times his own anxiety overwhelmed him. “He needs some space.” Copernica nodded in agreement and turned down the lights as she left. If Thayne was already overwhelmed as it was, the bright lights wouldn’t help him.

Tarah stayed in the room because if anyone knew how to comfort Thayne, it was her. Orik stayed too but sat quite a ways away so he didn't crowd Thayne. He’d still be there if the need arose, although that seemed unlikely.

Tarah scooted next to Thayne and very gently nudged his shoulder. “Hey,” she said softly. Cautiously, she tried to guide his hands away from his ears so he didn’t rip them from tugging on them.

First, his grip on his ears loosened. Then he realized the noise was gone, and the rest of him relaxed. Thayne let out a shaky little sigh of relief and leaned against her. Anticipating Tarah’s next question, he mumbled, “Better,” and hugged onto her. Tarah hugged him back (naturally) and they stayed like that while he calmed down.

Once he was ready they both crawled out from under the table. Orik didn’t try moving closer but asked what had happened. (Once he was positive Thayne saw him so he didn’t startle him by accident). “Was it just too noisy?”

Thayne nodded and clung to Tarah’s side, where he felt safest. “Mm-hmm, and I didn’t sleep well,” he mumbled into Tarah’s hood. “...sorry.”

“Don’t apologize, it just happens to people sometimes,” he said reassuringly. “There’s no need to be sorry for it.” 

Thayne made a little noise in response and Tarah apologized to him for not noticing him get upset sooner. He didn’t seem too upset over it, fortunately--the fact she was there for him now probably helped. 

Things were okay, he realized...

**Author's Note:**

> Come yell at me on my Tumblr: [sbuggbot.tumblr.com](sbuggbot.tumblr.com)


End file.
